Réussir la construction de ses phrases en anglais

Do you like English? Do you find it easy to learn? Most people find the rules of English to be overwhelming. They are swamped (overwhelmed) with things to learn! In this lesson, we are going to study the basic word order in English.

The most basic rule you must memorize is SVOMPT (pronounced like “swamped” above.) What is SVOMPT? It’s the basic word order in English. Look:

Basic affirmative sentences in the English language should follow the SVOMPT order. Objects usually go after the verbs they are related to. Time usually goes after place. English does not allow us to play with the word order like you can do with many other languages.

Remember that an Adverbial of Manner tells us how something happened.

An Adverbial of Place tells us where something happened.

An Adverbial of Time tells us when something happened.

Do you understand? Of course, you do not have to include every part of SVOMPT. You can easily have a sentence that’s just SVO! For example: Jane likes my shoes. The only reason you must remember all of SVOMPT is because the sentences must go in that particular order.

Look at the following chart:

S

V

O

M

P

T

Rodger

likes

cheese.

I

watch

football

at the stadium

every weekend.

He

opened

the fridge

silently.

They

walked

quickly.

She

runs

quickly

on the beach

every night.

My dad

has been

away

for a week.

It

has finished.

Do you see how not all of the sentences contain every part of the SVOMPT formula that we explained? Remember, again, not all sentences have to have every part of the SVOMPT formula. It is just a basic guideline to help you remember what the word order is in English.

Read the following paragraph. Each clause in every sentence should follow the SVOMPT formula. Try and dissect the sentences to see which part of the sentence fits for each part of the SVOMPT rule.

SVOMPT ou l’ordre d’une phrase en anglais

I live in a small town. I moved here hastily when I was young. You see, I needed a house because my parents kicked me out. They said that I needed to learn how to live on my own. I left home at 8 am on January 6th. I looked for an apartment online. I found one that I was interested in, so I called the landlady. She told me to visit. I drove quickly to the address she gave me. She opened the door and showed me around. It was a beautiful apartment! I was surprised. The had said the apartment only cost three hundred dollars a month. I signed the contract immediately. It was a long contract. I had to read the contract very carefully. I didn’t want to be tricked! She waited patiently for me to finish.

The landlady smiled when I gave her the contract. She said she was happy to have a new tenant like me. I was happy!